Travel Journaling Exercise: Retire Your Inner Censor – Part Three

Part 3: Send Your Inner Censor on Vacation

Your Inner Censor should be sitting right next to you in the picture your created. You have just officially retired him. Now it’s time for your Inner Censor to go have fun — far away from his job of guarding your thoughts. He’s been in the way but he has worked hard. He deserves a reward for his efforts — in a place where he won’t bother you.

Think for a moment about where you would like to send your Inner Censor. It should be a place you don’t intend to visit yourself so you don’t bump into him later. If you are keeping your own travel options open, keep in mind that your Inner Censor is simply part of your mind, and is therefore immune to the physical risks we mortals face when we travel. Given the current government there, I personally wouldn’t hang out on the beach in Nigeria, but my Inner Censor will be just fine.

Now — and I really mean this — send your Inner Censor to that place. Find the address of a nice hotel, or a cruise ship company, or a tour operator located in the faraway place where you are sending your Inner Censor.

Address an envelope to that place. Be sure to put enough international postage on the envelope. Take the picture you drew of your Inner Censor and seal him or her inside the envelope. Do NOT put a return address on the envelope!

Take your Inner Censor to a mailbox and send him on his way.

From now on, when you hear your Inner Censor’s voice telling you not to write something, when you feel him breathing down your neck, shielding you from your true thoughts, remind him nicely but firmly that he no longer lives in your brain. He lives in Nigeria, or China, or Jamaica, or Timbuktu, or wherever you have sent him. He needs to stay there now. You’ll get along just fine without him!

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